I'm curious what impact appointing Regional Chairs and providing them with 'strong powers', who (at least in Waterloo Region) also sit on the Police Service Board, will have on the police budget process. #WRcouncil #WRPS www.therecord.com/news/waterlo...
Text: The capital expenditure requirements of the total Facilities Master Plan, is outlined in Appendix B and C and totals $278.1M (PSCC 75,000 sf) or $248.6M (PSCC 50,000 sf) over the next 25 years (in 2024 dollars). Approximately $247.5M (PSCC 75,000 sf) or $196M (PSCC 50,000 sf) of these totals fall into the 2025-2033 forecast period.
Oh, did we all think that $173 million was a lot for the recently approved WRPS Communications Centre? Well, apparently that's only part of a larger Facilities Plan (2025-2033) with a price tag of $278 million. #WRcouncil #WRPS
“The vacancy rate for downtown office space in Waterloo Region remains among the highest in Canada.” Tell me again why we’re building out an over-priced police Communications Centre then? #Policing #WRcouncil www.therecord.com/business/rea...
The #WRcouncil meeting on March 25th, 2026 discusses the Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan. I suspect this thread might go long but I hope you'll take a look at this important document and consider what it means for our community. 🧵
Doug Ford's ridiculous decisions have me agreeing with Regional Councillor Doug Craig once again.
“It’s diluting local democracy,” Craig said. #WatReg #WRcouncil www.therecord.com/news/waterlo...
“We hire police, and hire police, but nothing ever changes." Quote from then-mayor (Cambridge) Doug Craig in 2009.
Is this what a seat on the Police Services Board does?
Can we have 2009 Doug Craig back please? #WRcouncil www.cambridgetimes.ca/news/mayor-w...
Text: “These changes could mean that the true costs of different energy sources can be known to consumers. At a time when new, lower-emissions technologies offer other choices to residents, it is time to look at this subsidy that we provide to legacy energy sources like natural gas.”
“It no longer makes sense for a for-profit company to have free access to one of our community’s biggest assets — our streets,” Coun. Matt Rodrigues told Canada’s National Observer. #WRcouncil buff.ly/kf2eYix
I can't argue with Councillor Craig on this one. "I want an elected chair who is accountable to the people of the Region of Waterloo, not an appointed chair who is accountable to Queen’s Park. That’s the major difference.” #WRcouncil
Text: Ward 1 Coun. Helen Shwery has brought forward a motion that calls on the region to provide a full breakdown of how much Cambridge taxpayers have contributed to Ion Stage 1, including capital and operating costs. The motion also asks the region to reimburse Cambridge for those costs and explain how that reimbursement would happen by end of March.
Um, it won't. (Nor should it.)
#WRcouncil www.therecord.com/news/waterlo...
At a recent #WRcouncil meeting, Cllr Gowing said, "most of the calls that I've received from constituents is do not get rid of my parking." The fact that residents refer to on-street parking spaces as 'my parking' speaks volumes. (5.20.00)
Alright, we've got a water capacity issue in #WatReg and #WRcouncil heard from many delegates on January 13th about this issue. You can watch the meeting here and/or follow along on this (potentially very long!) thread. www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZbM...
On Jan. 7/26, #WRcouncil met to discuss the encampment at Victoria and Weber. The agenda can be found here. (A thread). pub-regionofwaterloo.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx...
Important follow-up work to be done thanks to #WRcouncil member Matt Rodrigues who says at the Dec. 17th council meeting, "I think last night we discovered, perhaps inadvertently, a gap in our procedural bylaw that speaks to when votes get changed.
For the morning crowd - Tuesday's #WRcouncil meeting to approve the budget resulted in some concerns about process, including what one councillor referred to as maneuvering votes. This seems like something worth keeping an eye on.
Alright, let's take a closer look at the 2 #WRcouncil meetings from Dec. 16th, 2025: the Strategic Planning and Budget Committee and the Special Council meeting, with a focus on the police capital budget.
If you think #WRcouncil needs to reconsider once again increasing the police budget, please email them before the Dec. 16th budget meeting. www.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/regional-...
I'm slightly heartened to see #WRcouncil question the value of a $173 million communications centre, including a motion to reject the capital budget in its current form.
However, I'm also concerned that we'll lose focus on the $20 million increase to the operating budget for WRPS.
"In a time of constrained debt and rising need, building homes first is not only compassionate—it is smart public safety policy." Great piece from former #WRcouncil member Rob Deutschmann.
Yes, this! "Approving a budget that prioritizes police expansion while potentially displacing funding for affordable housing is a reactive, rather than preventative, approach to public safety." Correspondence to #WRcouncil. pub-regionofwaterloo.escribemeetings.com/filestream.a...
Text: Councillor B. Vrbanovic, Police Budget Recommended Motion: Whereas the 2026 Waterloo Region Police Service proposed operating budget reflects the increased operational policing needs expressed by our growing community; And whereas the Waterloo Region Police Service (WRPS), under contract at the present time with the Region of Waterloo as the PSAP for emergency services within Waterloo region has identified the need for a new, modern communications centre to serve our community and their contractual partners; And whereas the WRPS has expressed an ambition to build a shared services centre that goes beyond their mandate as a PSAP and as a police service; And whereas as of this date no potential partners have come forward with a signed agreement to be part of an over-sized new facility, and it is highly unlikely that all three emergency services would engage in this partnership in any foreseeable future; Be It Resolved: That Region of Waterloo Council not approve the 2026 Waterloo Regional Police Service Capital Budget as presented; And further that Region of Waterloo staff send the proposed budget to the WRPS and be directed to work with the Waterloo Region Police Service to bring back a capital budget for consideration that reduces the overall capital ask by WRPS to something that is both more affordable and considers overall debt load by Region of Waterloo taxpayers when considering other critical investments and needed debt for the region and area municipalities including for affordable housing, water system improvements, local share of the new hospital, transit expansion, infrastructure renewal and more; And further that the Region of Waterloo Council approve the proposed 2026 WRPS Operating budget, recognizing that the operating budget begins to address key community public safety needs being called for by our growing community.
Well, look at this. We have a #WRcouncil motion to reject the current version of the WRPS capital budget and it comes from (somewhat surprisingly) Mayor Vrbanovic! pub-regionofwaterloo.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx...
“I’m of the belief … that when people’s basic needs are met, they are less prone to crime, and basic needs include housing, which for right now is a major stress on municipal governments,” said Coun. Chantal Huinink. #WRcouncil www.therecord.com/news/waterlo...
Tonight is the final public input session for the #WRcouncil 2026 budget. You can watch it here. 🧵https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48s5g6hse7M
Mayor Vrbanovic making clear the decisions that #WRcouncil will need to make. While we've heard some on council say it's not an either/or between the police budget and community investments, if you're setting a hard cap for tax increases, then these are the decisions that need to be made.
Cllr Rodrigues says that #WRcouncil is looking at making some tough trade-offs in this budget and wonders if the Chief can outline what the tough trade-offs the police have addressed in their budget. He also notes that there is lots of talk of growth, but our growth has slowed more recently.
It's the weekend so you know that I'm using my free time to watch...council meetings. Tonight, I'm looking at the police budget (Nov. 26th, 2025). #WRcouncil 🧵https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LCfibyeCA4
"There seems to be a sense of freewheeling where the speed signs are only really considered a suggestion, so I believe anything we can do to change people’s driving habits, especially on rural roads, will save lives.” -Mayor Joe Nowak #WRcouncil #ASE www.therecord.com/news/waterlo...
Text: As a constituent of Ward 4, and someone who was ticketed by a speed camera, I am writing to add my continued support for their use. Speed cameras are not a "cash grab", they are an effective way to reduce speed, provide a massive safety boost to pedestrians and non-car road users, and shows just how bad our driving habits have become. I urge you to work with your fellow councilors and Ontario mayors to push back against Doug Ford's once-again misguided attempts to distract from his governments long list of failures and corruption. Thank you.
Yes to this! This letter writer received a speeding ticket and yet, still sees the value in the speed camera program AND took the time to reach out to #WRcouncil about it. You love to see it! pub-regionofwaterloo.escribemeetings.com/filestream.a...
Text: I want to express my concern regarding the proposed motion to pause the expansion of the Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) program in our region. As Councillor James outlines in the motion, the ASE program is already showing clear benefits. We’ve seen drivers slow down in school zones where cameras are present, and that is no small achievement when it comes to protecting vulnerable road users. Council has also made a significant investment in rolling out this program, and it’s beginning to pay off — not just in improved driving behaviour, but in revenue that is set to fund additional road safety improvements. While I appreciate that this motion seeks to provide clarity on the province’s potential ban, I believe this motion is misguided for several reasons: 1. Premier Ford’s "trial balloons" are not legislation. His comments about banning speed cameras in Ontario may or may not become policy. Acting prematurely — by pausing or cancelling a proven safety program — risks undermining progress based on speculation, not fact. 2. Cancelling the program will come at a cost — likely to regional taxpayers. If the province eventually mandates the end of ASE, then the province should bear the cost of that decision. But if Council chooses to end or pause the program now, before such legislation exists, the financial burden could fall on the region — and on residents. That would be unfortunate, especially given the strong support this program has previously received from Council. 3. Council should lead based on evidence and values, not political whims. I urge Council not to follow the Premier’s latest policy whim but instead to lead based on what you know is right. ASE has already demonstrated its effectiveness. Let's continue that work, and if the province does eventually ban these tools, I hope Council will advocate strongly for immediate funding and support to implement other traffic-calming strategies.
Text: While there may be strong opinions about speed cameras ranging from full support to complete opposition, most people seem to agree on one thing: roads are safest when they’re designed to slow people down. I completely agree with those who argue that street redesign is the most effective long-term solution. However, redesigning streets takes time and money — more than we often have at the pace needed to respond to today’s road safety concerns. Therefore, speed cameras and street redesign must work in tandem, not in opposition. ASE is a practical, cost-effective interim measure that makes our streets safer while we work toward broader infrastructure changes. Our neighbourhoods should be places where people feel safe to play, explore, and experience — not just spaces to drive through. ASE is one tool helping us move toward that goal. Pausing or cancelling it now, especially in anticipation of political rhetoric that may never materialize, would be a step backwards. Please stay the course. Continue to expand the ASE program and continue to demonstrate that this Council puts community safety and evidence-based policy first.
I have concerns (surprising absolutely no one who follows me!). I have submitted the following correspondence to #WRcouncil.
Text: WHEREAS The Region of Waterloo is in the midst of enacting an automated speed enforcement plan rooted in changing driver behaviour, increasing public safety, and saving lives following a pilot program that began in 2021; WHEREAS Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford publicly announced the intention to ban automated speed enforcement province-wide in forthcoming legislation; WHEREAS details remain limited of such a bill or legislation and next steps for municipal operators of automated speed enforcement are unclear; WHEREAS The Region of Waterloo has invested significantly in automated speed enforcement, with a program committed to expanding speed cameras to all eligible schools across Waterloo Region by 2028, and is heading into budget deliberations for 2026; WHEREAS automated speed enforcement cameras generate an 87% drop in number of vehicles driving more than 20km/h over the speed limit (source: SickKids/TMU study, July 2025 and that in Waterloo Region, the 85th percentile speed has decreased by over 16km/h on average in school zones covered by a speed camera. THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT The Region of Waterloo halt any further previously planned expansion of the automated speed enforcement program until details of the pending legislation are made available and that; The Region of Waterloo halt any further hiring of staff to deliver on the automated speed enforcement program and that; The Region of Waterloo maintain operation of the current automated speed enforcement program as-is today to provide clarity for drivers, community members, pedestrians, and staff and that; Regional Council requests Region of Waterloo staff report back to Council on the implications of ending the automated speed enforcement program in the Region of Waterloo pending forthcoming Provincial legislation.
At the Oct. 7th #WRcouncil Administration and Finance Committee, Cllr James is proposing the following motion looking to pause the automated speed camera program until things are more clear about the potential provincial ban. pub-regionofwaterloo.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx...
